<p>Military techno-hype, reflecting a long-standing Anglo-American faith in technological quick fixes, has frequently fed expectations of a "clean" victory. But we have found that the latest technology does not always shorten wars.</p>
<p>As early as 1609, John Smith, a leader of colonial Virginia, told his troops that if they just discharged their muskets at the Indians, "the very smoake will bee sufficient to affright them." Unfortunately, Smith was wrong. Virginia's Indians developed tactics to circumvent the colonists' technological advantages. Smith returned to England, proclaiming his mission accomplished, but the Virginia Indian wars lasted for decades.</p>